estate agent charging £450 to clean a house.... ?!

Just wondered if anyone could give some advice. We have just finished our house contract but our estate agent Ludlow Thompson has charged our Landlord £450 to clean the house upon us moving out, and subsequently she has taken it out of our deposits...

We spent 4 hours cleaning the house before we left and would have only needed another few hours work (i.e.. cleaning the oven,) to bring it to the standard of when we moved in as per the contract.

Any experts on this sort of thing? They are clearing trying to rip us/landlord off as £450 to clean a house that was already 90% clean is laughable!

Ask to see the invoice and work breakdown of what was done. The deductions need to be reasonable. Did you take photos?You can go to the deposit holder to dispute..

deleted568030

6th Jun 2014

This has happened to my son in the past. Ask for a breakdown and copy of the receipt from the letting agents, they would have used a cleaning firm to do any work. We always take detailed photographs now of the property at the start of the let and the end, and always ask the landlord to come and inspect before leaving so you can agree on what may need doing.

6th Jun 2014

Its likely in the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement that there will be this charge no matter what you have done to tidy the place. Fees are a joke but thankfully being looked at.

6th Jun 2014

Happened to me before, landlady said it didn't have a womans touch so she paid a cleaner, took £50 out of my deposit. What can you do. £450, is a bit steep though.

6th Jun 2014

Thanks guys. Just spoke to the estate agent. they said the landlady asked for a professional clean and for that they charge a flat rate of 450 despite the current level of cleanliness. Is there a good chance of getting some of this money back from the DPS?

We did take a few pictures we can show them...

Edited by: "geforce" 6th Jun 2014

6th Jun 2014

You need to look at what your contracts says, a profesional clean is not right it should be to the same standard as when you moved in.

Dont be afraid to take them to the small claims court, you should actually threaten them with that, start by asking them what address you should send court papers to.

6th Jun 2014

You can dispute this with the DPS, you really should have cleaned the oven though!! Doh!

6th Jun 2014

I know in places I have stayed at, when moving out we had to provide proof with receipts that the carpets were cleaned, and oven etc.

6th Jun 2014

I have provided cleaning services for landlords/estate agents and students in the past. We have had a few landlords and estate agents trying to rip off students, houses were perfectly cleaned but because they didn't use a professional cleaning company they make excuses.Anyways yes it depends on how you left it, you may think you cleaned it to a high standard but in reality you may have left a lot of dust in places you didn't check. As you mentioned you hadn't cleaned the oven that can be quite a huge chunk in itself, depends on the oven and extractor fan hob etc, our minimum charge is £45 that's just for a standard oven, it can easily get into a couple off hundred pounds for the whole oven. The most we charged for just an oven, no extractor fan or hob was included was £185 it depends on the condition, but that's just an example of a price we have charged in the past. To show the price can easily mount up, quite quickly.Also majority of landlords/ estate agent do have it written in the contract that only a professional cleaning service will be accepted and that they require an invoice. Surely before the cleaning was done via the estate agents they should have contacted you regarding this matter so that you could have at least mentioned that you are not happy with the quote and will find an alternative professional cleaning company to do the cleaning for you, as long as they have done the job to a high standard and provided an invoice I don't see why you wouldn't have been able to have done that. This may be a possible way for you to complain? I'm not sure but the only other thing is take before pictures with the dates clearly visible on the pictures of the condition of the house was in before you moved in and after. I believe you said you have done this, so good luck and as others have said get a breakdown of the invoice, you may also be able to get other cleaning companies to give you a quote for the same service and compare the price, if it is hugely different that may be another way of complaining that you feel you are getting ripped off by this alternative cleaning company.

6th Jun 2014

A word of advice for anyone else.

Always take photos of the whole house and appliances with a date recording camera upon moving in. Keep a record for yourself and forward the others onto the letting agent/landlord.

Do the same again when you leave.

It is what I do, I have never had a problem with any landlord.

But then again, I tend to keep my house clean and tidy and the kitchen appliances immaculate, I don;t know how anyone can cook on a dirty cooker.

17th Jun 2014

Thanks everyone. Just to give you an update into the situation which has gotten a little more interesting...

My ex housemate went round the house today to pick up some post left at a neighbours. The neighbour mentioned that the landlord was seen cleaning it herself a few days ago, the house is still empty (we were told new tenants had moved in) and had not had a 'professional' £450 clean as the landlord and estate agent suggested!

...very annoyed!

17th Jun 2014

Make sure you inform the DPS of the latest developments. Insist that they obtain an official invoice from the company she will say did the clean. As your Tenancy Agreement is a legally binding contract, the contract has been broken if the flat is not professionally cleaned yet this service has been charged for. Tantamount to extortion. Please let us know how you get on!

20th Aug 2014

NEtech

A word of advice for anyone else.Always take photos of the whole house … A word of advice for anyone else.Always take photos of the whole house and appliances with a date recording camera upon moving in. Keep a record for yourself and forward the others onto the letting agent/landlord.Do the same again It is what I do, I have never had a problem with any landlord.But then again, I tend to keep my house clean and tidy and the kitchen appliances immaculate, I don;t know how anyone can cook on a dirty cooker.

Would a digital camera do, or do your need the date on the actual picture?